There has never been a more exciting time to join Wirral Council. We’ve got ambitious targets to meet and to achieve everything we have promised to our residents, we need people who are ready to deliver the very best for our communities and show how they can #BeTheDifference. Our vision is to secure the best possible future for our residents, defined by the community prosperity we create and supported by our excellent people and services. If you strive to #BeTheDifference and want to be at the heart of our change and improvement journey, then this could be the perfect job for you.

You will lead and manage a team of specialist Adult Social Care, Child Protection and Education lawyers ensuring the provision of professional legal advice, support and assistance to the Council, Senior Leaders, Members and partners.

We are looking for someone with excellent technical knowledge and extensive experience in the social care area of practice together with proven management ability. You will have excellent communication and IT skills and the ability to work and manage effectively as part of a busy legal team. You will be confident in handling complex cases, conducting advocacy and managing a team with a large caseload of court/tribunal proceedings and advice matters.

You will have the ability to work well under pressure, to manage a busy workload to tight deadlines and to support the Head of Legal Services in ensuring an efficient and effective legal service is provided to the Council. Above all you will be looking to improve the way we engage with our employees/residents/customers to ensure they are at the heart of everything we do.

Please note, that in order to be considered for this position, you must be a qualified and practising barrister, solicitor, legal executive (Fellow) or equivalent (subject to or awaiting QLTS).

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Vicki Shaw on 0151 691 8481 or email vickishaw@wirral.gov.uk

Working at Wirral

You’ll also want to know what it’s like to work here so, as a start:

Our values are more than just pieces of paper on our walls! We’ve all played a role in developing these, so they reflect the immense pride we have in what we do, what matters to us, what inspires us and inform how we think, approach things and behave.

We believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff wellbeing is a priority for us. We’re serious about recognising and rewarding people for the great things they do. You’ll benefit from our track record of developing, growing and investing in our people.

We have a range of staff benefits including staff discounts, an excellent pension scheme which includes a generous employer contribution rate, immediate life cover and ill-health protection. We have a strong flexible working approach, hybrid working, family-friendly employment initiatives and an annual leave package starting with 28 days leave plus public holidays.

We have an inclusive, engaged culture, everyone has a voice, everyone is valued for their contribution and understands the role they play in delivering our strategic priorities.

Each voice is heard, each contribution valued. We embrace diversity in our workforce and recognise it is critical to our success. We support an inclusive culture that champions differences and nurtures a sense of belonging. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds, who share our values and our commitment to inclusion to apply for roles with us.

We want you to be your best at work, we create the conditions to help you thrive and we mirror this in our recruitment process. If you’d like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process to make it barrier-free and as accessible as possible please contact recruitment@wirral.gov.uk

Assessments to take place virtually and in person, early June. 

We've embraced new ways of working and hybrid working between home and office will be a feature of this role, working at the office 2-3 days per week, when necessary. Our technology platform and equipment allow you to connect and collaborate remotely which requires that you have in place good connectivity. This can be discussed more during the recruitment process.

You will find more details about the role in the job description and what we're looking for from you in the person specification. In return, we believe in ensuring staff are well looked after, staff well-being is a priority for us and regulary promoted, as are professional support and continuous professional development. You will have the chance to be mentored by skilled Local Government Legal professionals in order to support your continued development in the role and your career.

Please note that in accordance with the Council’s policy, employees who are in a formal redeployment situation will be considered in the first instance for all vacancies.

It is Council policy not to re-appoint any employee who has left under the terms of the Council's Early Voluntary Retirement (EVR) scheme or who have left with a voluntary severance (VS) package, unless in exceptional circumstances.

Applications will be accepted until midnight on the closing date.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications.

Applications can only be accepted through the Jobs page following registration.  Forms received via the post will not be processed.

All applicants invited to interview must evidence their right to work in the UK.  Details of required documents can be found by clicking the link at the bottom of the Jobs page.

The job description and other supporting documents will not be accessible once the vacancy closing date has passed so if a copy is required you should download it now.